An eye-opening account of how the US government cannot fully represent its constituents if the voices for those groups can't *physically* get there. A poor or working class single parent can't fight for the needs of their peers if the hurdles to get to Washington DC are too great. Katie Porter recounts just how difficult it is to surmount those hurdles with wit and sass.

Her memoir does make one ponder just how representational our government is.

Written as a collection of recollections, without a distinct timeline, yet the stories work well as presented. Easy to read, almost if one was sitting on an porch with Katie listening to her tell stories uncensored and over a cold one.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I enjoyed the read. I felt like it was a pretty easy to absorb and Porters humor is great. I really loved learning more about her story.

I’ve admired Rep. Katie Porter and was happy to see she wrote a memoir. I appreciated many of her stories, but the flow of the essays in the book felt somewhat disjointed. 3.5 stars rounded up because of my respect for her.

I knew next to nothing about Katie Porter, the author, before receiving an ARC of this book from NetGalley. I have to admit, I'm now fascinated by her! A divorced mother, with very little political experience, she works her butt off and becomes a Congresswoman from California. I found her descriptions of what goes on behind the scenes in Congress to be fascinating. She comes across as a hard-working, no nonsense, uber-confident, family first person whose opinions need to be heard. She describes her doubts about her career choice, it's effects on her children, and her own personal feelings. And....she is a kick-ass take-no-prisoners powerhouse! I was left with a positive opinion of her, and hope she sticks around long enough to encourage other mothers to join her in Congress.

Katie Porter presents the government as is in her memoir and let the reader is left inspired and hopeful.

This was a solid read. I learned a lot. It was really motivating! It’ll ramp up your passion! Super thought provoking.

I love Katie Porter so I was eager to dive in and read. It’s a decent politician memoir but the writing style was very simple and didn’t hold my interest for longer than 10 minutes of reading so it took me a while to finish.

Katie Porter is the ideal mom friend for sassy conversations, and her book captures that essence perfectly,

This book was much more a series of almost-unrelated essays than a linear narrative. That said, I emerged with a even greater appreciation for Porter as a human and as a congressperson than I went in - and that’s saying something!

Political memoirs by people whose political careers are still active are always a little careful, a little unsatisfying, a little boilerplate - this one is charming and funny, but it's still a little bit like that. Recommended, but it's not something that transcends the genre.

I've been hearing more about Katie Porter, and now she has announced she's running for the Senate, so I knew I needed to read about her. She is GREAT. This book was so much fun to read. She's honest, refreshing, smart, sassy, a little braggy, but in politics for the right reasons. I hope we see a lot of her for years to come. The only thing that was a bit jarring was the chapter orders. There was a chronological "storyline", but then stories from different time periods would be added, and sometimes I was confused about the timing. I would add dates in the chapter titles maybe to help the reader know what time period we are in. But other than that, it was a great read and gave some behind the scenes on how the government works, and sadly, it doesn't seem to work that well. People like Katie Porter can make the changes needed!

Bring on the whiteboard!

I like congresswoman Katie Porter, but I didn't really enjoy this book. It's good, don't get me wrong, but it's not very memorable. Also, I didn't like the structure of this book. It's non-linear. Too much jumping between different timelines. I wanted a more cohesive and chronological memoir. Porter has a wonderful and down-to-earth personality so that helps balance out the clunky parts. I wish Porter luck in her Senate run. I hope she wins the primary. I just didn't care for this memoir. The tone was all over the place, it's a mixed bag for me.

I Swear was a really fun book with insight into what being in Congress is actually like. I liked Porter's straight-forward and funny style. I liked the endings of chapters with her signature "whiteboard" style.

Who is the woman behind the whiteboard? Representative Katie Porter of California has become well-known for her ability to put CEOs on the spot in Congressional hearings, using only her whiteboard and common sense. With a background as both a consumer protection lawyer and a law professor, Porter has had years of experience in taking powerful bankers, CEOs, and politicians to task for their mistakes and mishandling of average Americans' finances. In this memoir, she uses her signature humor and BS radar to reveal how her history turned her into someone who wants to fix the system for all Americans, not just the wealthy and powerful.

Given that this is a memoir of a politician who is currently running for the Senate, yes, there is a certain amount of touting of her own credentials and highlighting her own efforts to hold powerful people accountable, setting herself up as the candidate you want to vote for. However, she does have the receipts, and for having been in office only three years at this point, she has been effective in standing up for what she believes in. She also holds herself accountable and is willing to share her vulnerabilities in her book, as well as her cheeky humor with the occasional chapter-ending "whiteboard" of her tips and bullet points on topics such as consumer protection and contacting your representatives.

I don't think I've ever had more fun reading a politician's memoir. Four stars.

Thank you, Crown/Penguin Random House and NetGalley, for providing an eARC of this book. Opinions expressed here are solely my own.

I absolutely love Katie Porter. Her honesty and realness cannot be faked and this shows in the book. The things she write about her interactions with her kids is only things who is an actual hands on mom would say. I loved it. Katie Porter for POTUS!

I enjoyed this book, especially Katie's line of questioning that you might be all familiar with. Thanks to one of those for the free testing of COVID. A good look into the making of a Congressmom.

I was a tiny bit apprehensive as I began reading Congresswoman Katie Porter’s book I Swear (subtitled Politics Is Messier Than My Minivan) because I really like and admire her, and didn’t want to be disabused of my positive view. She represents the place where I grew up, which has been referred to as being “behind the Orange Curtain”).

In my memories of my early years in OC, a few things stand out. My first history professor in college was John Schmitz, who was known for a few things: he was a rabid member of the John Birch Society, he was disgraced after it came out about his extramarital affair (including two children); one of his seven children, teacher Mary Kay Letourneau, became famous (notorious?) following her conviction on charges of second degree rape of a child after her relationship with a twelve-year-old, one of her sixth-grade students, became known; and weirdest of all? Schmitz was such an exteme right-winger that the freaking Birch Society expelled him because of his extremist views.). I worked at various fundraisers for Republican candidates, seeing up close and personal the drunken and disgusting behavior of attendees including John Wayne, the whole Reagan clan, Barbara Stanwyck, and others. And to be hired for those gigs I had to answer questions such as “have you been saved?” and assist with the gathering of weapons (because the Communists were surely about to land at Newport Beach). You get the idea.

Until recently, Orange County, CA has been super conservative, and the idea of an outspoken woman with progressive views unseating a Republican in that area was unthinkable. Katie had most recently been teaching Law at U.C. Irvine, following her academic honors and work for her Harvard Law mentor Elizabeth Warren. In 2018, after some years in academia teaching law, she made the decision to run for office, and has been a fixture on various news shows, podcasts, and talk shows for nearly five years.

She has become well known for whipping out her whiteboard in hearings, and challenging various CEOs and government officials to task in a number of settings, including Congressional hearings. People appreciated her no-bullshit style,

I really appreciate her no-BS style and wit. I hadn’t realized that she was the ONLY single mother in Congress, and it was somewhat shocking to read about her treatment as she struggled to “do it all.” FFS, when she tried to get minor accommodations in order to be there for her kids, she was asked “what did you expect?”

Reading about the realities of campaign fundraising, committee assignments, etc. was fascinating. The story about January 6 and how Katie hid Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in her office for hours, behind barricaded doors (as the Trump-inspired insurrection took place just outside) was gripping. I loved the part about her loaning AOC a pair of sneakers, as they needed to be able to run, something hard to do in heels. There are also anecdotes about her kids’ “lightly illegal” campaign hijinks, and the challenges the entire family faced as Katie worked relentlessly to advocate for her key issues including consumer protection and governmental oversight.

I love Katie Porter, and I admire her for many things, now including her honesty and forthrightness. Following redistricting, her district was changed so she had to essentially start over and win over new voters, many of them uber-wealthy Newport Beach types. She is now running for Senate to replace (the hopefully soon-to-retire) Senator Dianne Feinstein. Whatever happens in that race, I hope she continues her work for everyday Americans. The max is five stars, but if I could give I Promise and Katie herself more, I would. I stayed up reading until I finished the book, and I was glued to the Kindle screen the whole time. Great read for anyone interested in politics or anyone who likes to read about strong women. Thanks to Crown Publishing and NetGalley for providing a copy of Katie’s bookin exchange for my honest review. Enjoy!!!

I loved this book. The tone changed from light to serious and back as the subject matter allowed, but there was a strong undercurrent of good-naturedness in the stories. I found the stories charming, entertaining, and highly informative. While I did not read anything that was laugh-out-loud funny, I was certainly smiling through most of the book. The only downside, and a minor one at that, is that Porter can come across as boastful. I recommend this book for anyone interested in politics or anyone who just wants to read a well-written autobiography. Thank you to Netgalley and Crown Publishing for the digital review copy.

My first impression of Katie Porter was that she rather reminded me of a teacher. As it turns out, I wasn't wrong. She was a teacher/professor, one who seems to frequently use her position as a member of Congress to teach. I sorta liked her as I started the book but am now admitting that I'm a full-fledged Katie Porter fan. She comes across as a real person, frequently mentioning her worries as a parent, ie was she neglecting her own children in her quest to, so to speak, "save the world". She's smart, not easily intimidated, albeit frequently exhausted and frustrated. She was also smart/lucky enough to have worn sneakers on that infamous January 6th gathering, not to mention find a pair for AOC, too. BTW, they were never evacuated from her office, spending the day hiding out there as chaos reigned outside.

This is her story. Her story of her first foray into politics, one that seemed unlikely to be successful, through some of the Congressional moments anyone who was paying attention will remember. The evolution of her famous White Board is told as she delves into not just hearings on the likes of bank big-shots and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, but right into the lead-up and decisions to impeach a sitting president. It's told from her viewpoint, one highly colored by her own knowledge and experiences. I also had to chuckle when she revealed private memories, such as dealing with her children's awkward attempts to be helpful on campaigns. In other words, we get the real Katie Porter, both the Congressional and mother side of her.

Bottom line, I started the book with mild curiosity. I finished admiring and liking Porter. She's someone I'd love to know, well, if she could ever find a spare moment when she isn't hurrying to another in an endless series of meetings or votes or dealing with the pile of laundry at home. Thank you #NetGalley and #CrownPublishing - #Crown for introducing me to an extraordinary woman.

“I Swear: Politics is Messier than My Minivan” is a memoir from U.S. representative Katie Porter. If you follow American politics, you may recognize Porter from viral clips of her taking corporate officers to task during congressional hearings or breaking out her trusty whiteboard to help break down issues. Prior to her current position in Congress serving residents in a portion of southern Orange County, California, Porter was a consumer protection lawyer and university professor. In her book, Porter talks about growing up in the rural Midwest; excelling in school; specializing in bankruptcy and corporate misconduct by financial institutions in her academic and legal career; and running for and working in Congress.

Before I go into my thoughts about “I Swear,” I feel the need to disclose three things:
1. I live near Katie Porter’s district but she is not my congressional representative. I wasn’t able to and did not vote in her previous elections.
2. I lean liberal and align with many of her values and her positions on public issues.
3. I enjoy reading memoirs, but haven’t read many political ones.

With that said, I must express I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, I do respect and value Porter’s work. I believe she is an incredibly intelligent, hard-working, and dedicated individual who has devoted much of her adult life to helping people as a lawyer, teacher, and now a legislator. I also think “I Swear” offers a well-written, fascinating behind-the-scenes look at American politics and addresses important issues like hypocrisies in the corporate world and in the Capitol, the grossness of campaign fundraising, and the often unspoken class divide within Congress itself. I appreciated getting insight about what it’s like being a U.S. representative who is a single parent and who isn’t independently wealthy, two things that are actually uncommon in the political sphere.

However.

The tone of the book is… odd. Porter frequently positions herself as a middle-class, down-to-earth working parent. A “real person” for “real people,” if you will. But often because of the kinds of anecdotes she shares and the “humorous” asides she makes—sometimes about people in her own political party and even her own staff—she comes across as condescending or snide. She talks a lot about her personal accomplishments, occasionally to the point of puffery. And she misses some opportunities to talk about significant events with emotional and self awareness—the emotional detachment I sensed while reading some of her descriptions was surprising to me (the chapter about January 6th stands out to me in particular). Again, I’m not a regular reader of political memoirs, so perhaps trying to present oneself as relatable but also as important, celebrated, and tough is par for the course. It’s also possible that aspects of her personality and sense of humor failed to translate well on paper. Regardless, several passages left a bad taste in mouth.

It’s disappointing to me because the memoir started off strong. The first chapter—in which she describes hesitating running for re-election due to personal
struggles—displayed a lot of vulnerability I feel like is a hallmark of a great memoir. But I suppose if you’re running for Senate, there’s a delicate balance you have to strike between vulnerability and confidence. Unfortunately, for me, this memoir doesn’t dance the line between the two particularly well.

I’m incredibly conflicted about “I Swear.” It is a very interesting and thought-provoking book but, at the same time, somewhat bewildering.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review. My review was posted online on February 7, 2023 to: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5244890252.